Bohemian Beer Garden

One of the highlights of my 365 day bar crawl was going out to Bohemian Beer Gardens in Queens. It was a great day and it’s something Gene and I have always talked about going to. Gene’s never been and it is a bit of an investment in time, heading out to Queens, but we’ve decided today is the day.

Gene came by my apartment and in a tradition started at MAD, he brought two Sols for me to put in my refrigerator for the next time Britta and Tom come by.

And through the magic of the internet, we've magically arrived in a land known as Queens. We stopped in one bar on the way to the Bohemian Beer Garden, but the bartender didn't want us taking photos of it, so you don't get to see the first mystery bar. Hopefully we'll have better picture-taking luck at Bohemian Beer Garden.

And here we are!

And the garden is open, let's go inside.

We thought we'd have a beer at the bar that leads out to the garden. And once again we strike out with a bartender photo and this guy was kind of rude about it. We may not have a bartender photo at all for you today, but I'll keep trying.

Here's Gene at the bar with a big mug of German beer, partially blocked out by the sunlight. Damn you sunshine!

There's a nice display of lit up bottles behind the bar.

There's tables opposite the bar to sit at.

Here's a menu of some of the draft beers available.

And here's the actual draft beers themselves.

After a beer we decided to venture out to the garden area. This is the biggest beer garden in all of New York City.

In the summer time it's packed out here, but since it's still off season, there's plenty of places to sit and it's about half full. Or half empty if you're a pessimist.

I had a late lunch and wasn't hungry, but Gene wanted something to eat, so we wandered over to the barbecue grills.

Gene got a hot dog, topped with sauerkraut and mustard.

And we got a beer at the outside bar and once again got shut down by the bartender regarding a photo. Although judging by his English skills, I think it's because he didn't have a green card, so I took mercy on him and put the camera away.

Hey, what's that on the table?

It's an ash tray! It turns out there's a smoking area in the park! Hopefully Mayor Bloomberg and his goon squad will leave this alone!

On the way out I took this photo of a cigar and two mugs of German beer, a sight for sore eyes.

Before getting on the subway, Gene and I decided to see if we could finally get that elusive bartender shot before heading back to Manhattan. So we decided to have a drink at the Brewhouse.

And here we are at the bar, the tension is mounting...

And he shoots and scores! Stacey, the pretty and friendly bartender on duty was more than happy to pose for a photo! Cheers!

Bohemian Gardens
29-19 24th Ave. (Near 29th Ave.)
Queens, NY
718-274-4925

Further Reading: Queens Courier, Queens Crap and We <3 Astoria.

We are the Draught Beer Preservation Society,
God save Mrs. Mopp and good Old Mother Riley,
We are the Custard Pie Appreciation Consortium,
God save the George Cross and all those who were awarded them.

Surprise link, click on it...I dare you!

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Bonus Photos By Gene On His Never-Ending Bar Crawl!

I went home, but Gene had to make his quota of 1879 bars for the day, so he continued on. Here's a couple of shots of some drinks he had at Otto's. Lani was on duty and she said to say, "hi." Hi Lani!

Saturday Night Cheeseburger At Fraunces Tavern

Live, from New York, it’s Saturday Night Cheeseburger! Starring Fraunces Tavern with a special appearance by BBC member Gene Rubbico and featuring the Ready for Prime Beef Player, Marty Wombacher. And now, please welcome our host, Fraunces Tavern!

Gene's coming over shortly, so I thought I'd prepare one of my patented, special snack mixes for an appetizer before we head out. I've gotten four bags of snacks and a can of Easy/Sleazy Cheese for the mix.

And here's my snackologist certified mixing bowl to begin the preparation.

I'm starting with a base of the Brooklyn Flatbreads.

Now I start adding the other chips and pretzels, carefully pruning and shaping the mix. I've warned about this before, but if you're not a certified snackologist, like myself, please don't attempt this at home!

Four hours later the mix is ready for consumption and my buzzer is ringing. Must be Gene, perfect timing!

And here he is, BBC member Gene Rubbico, holding the sleazy cheese and a copy of Chris Erikson's new CD that he won by being the first commenter at this post.

Okay, after a few beers and snacks, it's time to catch a downtown train to the financial district.

It can be a little confusing down here, but luckily Gene has an actual GPS and instead of me walking around in circles for about two hours...

Here we are at the Fraunces Tavern and Museum. This is the oldest standing building in New York and it's where George Washington gave his farewell speech to his Lieutenants back in 1783. The museum is closed, but the restaurant and tavern are still open.

So let's get inside and get Saturday Night Cheeseburger underway!

Here's the restaurant.

It's nice in here with candle lit wooden communal tables.

Here's a painting of Georgey Boy himself.

The restaurant looked nice, but I think this is more suited to our needs.

It's a nice dark bar in here and kind of crowded, but Gene and I managed to get two seats at the bar.

The bartender was super busy, so I didn't get a chance to get his name, but I did get a shot of him in action.

Gene got a Magners and here it is resting at the bar.

Here's some of the other beers on tap.

Love these lit-up bottles behind the bar.

A shot of the wooden bar from the far end.

Comfortable fur banquettes and wooden tables to relax at are opposite of the bar.

Some of the whiskey flights that are available at the bar.

And when I get back to the bar, tonight's meal is waiting for me. I love it when that happens! Gene and I each got the slider sampler which consisted of a chicken salad slider, a mini cheeseburger and a crab cake slider.

They were really good, although I was a little disappointed in the cheeseburger slider. It was a little dry and didn't have much taste. The other two were much better, in my humble opinion.

After a beer for dessert, a quick glance out the window...

And I'm headed home as Gene continues to bar crawl. He's trying to hit 1,897 bars tonight and I hope he hit his goal!

My Meal
Gene and I both got the slider sampler and it was the perfect amount of food that didn’t leave you with that stuffed feeling. I really liked the crab cake and the chicken salad sliders, they were both very tasty, especially the crab cake. It was crispy on the outside and filled with soft and somewhat spicy crab meat inside. The cheeseburger was a little bland and dry and a bit of a disappointment though. The thing that saved it was the bakery fresh bun, really soft and just a tad on the sweet side.

In addition to the sliders burger they also have a Tavern Burger that comes with French Fries and four choices of cheese to top it off with. Other entrees include: Bangers and Mash with a beer-onion gravy; Pan Seared Salmon,  Fish and Chips and Pork Schnitzel with fried potatoes and wild mushrooms. Some of the appetizers offered are: Irish Cheese Plate with onion marmalade, Smoked Haddock Chowder, a daily selection of oysters and Whiskey Cured Salmon on Toasted Stout Bread.

Cheeseburger Rating
Two Wimpy’s, not the greatest in town, but not that bad either.

Fraunces Tavern
54 Pearl St. (@Broad St.)
212-425-1776

Further Reading: NY Times—City Room, ChowderKids and The Bowery Boys.

I’m hungry for that sweet life baby,
With a real fine girl like you.

Surprise link, click on it...I dare you!

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Bonus Links From JHwang!

TWM commenter, JHwang/Jason sent in these food links for Saturday Night Cheeseburger. The first is this preview of Pizza Hut's heart attack inducing cheeseburger pizza. And the second is this jello portion that he sent in for dessert, it's kind of hypnotizing! Thanks for the links Jason!

A Bar Crawl In Queens With Gene From The BBC

Okay, usually I take Friday off and get ready for next week’s activities and put up a Blooper Reel today. The only problem was, I didn’t have that many Blooper photos to post. Then I remembered TWM friend, commenter and one third of the famed BBC (Baltimore Bar Crawlers), Gene Rubbico was coming to town this weekend. I couldn’t go out with him last night, but I asked him to take photos and send them in and that’s exactly what he did and here they are!

The train pulls into the city.

Sorry about this Al...

But you just can't go through Penn Station without getting a giant beer and a Papaya dog! A perfect start to a bar crawling day!

Walter's Bar used to be here and now it's vacant. What a shame!

Happily, Billymarks West is still in business, time to really start this bar crawl.

Three amigos in Billymarks: Mark, Mike and Skippy.

Here's the Flying Puck, which is just a block from Penn Station.

You gotta love the floor in here!

31st and Northern Blvd. In Queens.

Home sweet home for the next three nights.

And we're off to some bars in Queens! (Marty's note: In an email, Gene told me he was going to do all Queens from here on in and I replied, "That's what Freddie Mercury said and he wasn't talking about his band!")

The Mad Donkey Beer Bar and Grill.

Getting sliders for a snack. Just got a Yuengling draft that tasted like crap. Traded it in for a Breckenridge Vanilla Porter. Much better!

Veronica's, a classic place with great signage!

And now we're at the Sunswick bar.

Watermelons and is that a CBBM cousin in the upper left?

As night falls, it's time for the Tippin Inn.

Here's Chris, who looks like he's tipped a few at the Tippin Inn!

They have the cleanest bathroom I've ever seen in a bar and two kinds of air fresheners!

Time for another snack, a mushroom slice and a garlic knot to soak up some of the suds!

Next stop, Cronin & Phelan.

And back to Tippin Inn for a nightcap or three.

Great bar crawl, Gene! Thanks for the photos and narrative! Check in tomorrow for Gene and I on a Cheeseburger Saturday Night adventure!

Further reading: 365 Bars, 365 Bars and 365 bars.

I'm trying to walk a straight line,
On sour mash and cheap wine.

Surprise link, click on it...I dare you!

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Bonus Gidget Photo!
DJ Gidget left a comment last week when I went to The House Of Oldies and mentioned a dress she wore for lipsyncing Nancy Sinatra songs called, “The Boots Dress.” I asked her to send in a picture of her wearing this dress and here it is. Looking great, Gidget! And don’t forget to tune in to the “Secret Weapon” the show where “Boris” picks the tunes and Gidget spins them. It’s on Woody Radio and you can listen right now, so do it! Thanks for sending in the photo, Gidget!